Derrick Williams, WR, Penn State

Derrick Williams was one of the most heralded recruits in his freshman class in 2005. Unfortunately for him, injury and inconsistent quarterback play have limited him during his career at Penn State. During his freshman season, Williams was moved around between running back and wide receiver. He had 22 carries and caught 22 passes that season with 4 touchdowns in just 7 games before a broken arm ended his season. Since that time he has seen his looks at running back diminish as a sophomore and junior, and Anthony Morelli's play at quarterback kept him from producing the type of numbers he's capable of. During his collegiate career Williams caught 161 passes for 1743 yards and 9 touchdowns. He has also rushed the ball 117 times for 594 yards and scored 8 rushing touchdowns. This type of versatility could be valuable to an NFL franchise. His route running is still a little raw, but Williams gets off the line as fast as any receiver in college football. He is excellent at exploding when the ball is snapped and blowing by press coverage. Creative offensive coordinators could find places all over the field to get him the ball. He gets to top speed quickly and is very good at stopping on a dime during curls and deep comeback routes. Williams is also a very good return man. He has run three punts and two kick offs back for touchdowns while playing at Penn State and has been the primary return man on kick offs since his sophomore season. Williams is currently a third round prospect, but a 40 time in the high 4.3 range could prompt someone to take him late in the second round. Derrick Williams played in January's Senior Bowl. Williams had an up and down week of practice, however. He showed excellent body control during drills, but his route running needs improvement. Early in the week Williams had a lot of trouble fielding punts, which may scare off some teams. He did rebound to finish the practice week strong and had a solid game. He recorded 2 catches for 19 yards, returned a punt for 11 yards, and returned 3 kicks for 89 yards. Derrick Williams ran the 40 yard dash in 4.37 seconds at his Pro Day workout. He showed the type of speed scouts were expecting of him, and may have put himself back into early second round consideration. Derrick Williams really failed to impress at February's NFL Combine. He ran a dismal 4.58 second 40 yard dash and failed to really separate himself from other second to third round receivers. His value as a return man will keep him in the third round, but he has currently dropped out of second round consideration.